Ifeoma Ozoma Creates A Handbook For Tech Workers Who Feel Abused
JAKARTA - Pinterest whistleblower Ifeoma Ozoma has created a website with resources that can help tech employees talk about the discriminatory treatment they receive or feel influenced by technology companies.
According to The Washington Post, in 2020, Ozoma and another former Pinterest policy official, Aerica Shimizu Banks, tweeted in a viral post that "they are underpaid, face racist comments from their managers and are subject to retaliation."
This revelation destroyed the social media platform's good reputation in the tech industry. Until now it is difficult to regain that image.
Ozoma isn't the only tech employee to make accusations against their company. Author of a recent Guardian article, Chelsey Glasson, filed a discrimination lawsuit against Google a year after she claimed the company discriminated against her because she was pregnant and she faced retaliation for it.
His trial is set for January. The latest high-profile whistleblower is Frances Haugen, who opposes Facebook for many reasons, including a company that puts profit over the safety of its users.
As he recently discussed with Fast Company, Ozoma launched the Tech Worker Handbook, a website where technology employees can find resources to help them speak out against abuses at their companies.
Ozoma said The Tech Worker Handbook was started because he found that tech workers were so nervous about talking to the press that they never spoke to a reporter after having contact with him.
He also found that these potential whistleblowers did not understand the meaning of on the record, off the record, or on the background. In addition, he found they did not understand how to seek legal counsel, so he created a place for them to learn more.
Ozoma describes the website as "a set of resources that can help people make the decisions that are best for them." A visit to The Tech Worker Handbook supports this, with the theme "Preparedness is Power" that applies to all of the site's content.
It features sections on Law, Media, Security, and Stories, as well as information on the many contributors to the handbook. Although new, the site is already very thorough, with the Legal section, for example, offering details on where to start and how to build a support system throughout the process.
However, this is only the tip of the iceberg of what The Tech Worker Handbook has to offer. It's easy to see the site being a major factor in arming future whistleblowers with the right information.
The Handbook is just the latest in several of Ozoma's steps to support those in the tech industry. He's also trying to get a law passed in California that would protect tech employees speaking up, the No More Act. Currently waiting for the governor's signature. However, the bill has raised awareness of the many issues in technology that need attention.